Do good deeds atone for minor sins, which include listening to music, looking at indecent pictures, and shaking hands with women, and is the perpetrator of these sins treated the same as one who avoids all prohibitions?

The promises of Allah and His Messenger regarding the expiation of sins should not be a justification for violating modesty or committing acts of disobedience, for several reasons:

1. Allah dislikes sins, even minor ones, and threatens those who commit them with a painful punishment. 2. Persisting in minor sins leads to a lack of awe towards Allah, which is one of the greatest sins. 3. The promise of expiating sins pertains to minor sins that are not committed with persistence; for there is no minor sin when coupled with persistence. 4. The one who commits a sin is not safe from having his life concluded while committing it, and thus being resurrected upon it. 5. Performing acts of worship merely as a formality is not sufficient for the expiation of sins. Rather, it must be done with sincerity, adherence (to the Sunnah), and fear of non-acceptance. Moreover, one who persists in sins will not be granted success in perfecting their worship.